Lena Corinne (Taylor) Morse (1897 - 1954)

Born 30 Nov 1897 in Cove, Union, Oregon, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Elmer Perry Morse — married 2 May 1915 in Kooskia, Idaho, Idaho, United States

Died 16 Dec 1954 at age 57 in Rochester, Monroe, New York, United States

Biography

Lee (Taylor) Morse is Notable.

This profile is part of the Morse Name Study.

Personal Life

Lena Corinne "Lee" (Taylor) Morse was born in 1897. She was the daughter of Pleasant Taylor and Olive Oatman (Higgins) Taylor. Lee grew up in Idaho.^[1][2]

Lena married Elmer P. Morse on 2 May 1915 in Kooskia, Idaho, Idaho, United States.^[3][4][5] The 1920 US Census records them living in Kellogg, Shoshone, Idaho, with their son Jack.^[6] Elmer died in 1926. They were living in Spokane, Washington.^[7]

Professional Life

Variety, 1927

Lee was an American jazz and blues singer-songwriter, composer, guitarist, and actress. Morse's greatest popularity was in the 1920s and early 1930s as a torch singer, although her career began around 1917 and continued until her death in 1954.

Morse was known for her strong, deep singing voice and vocal range, which often belied her petite frame. She possessed a contralto vocal range, and one of her trademarks was her unique style of yodeling. Recording over 200 songs over her career, Morse was one of the most recorded female singers of the 1920s. She was also moderately successful as an actress on the Broadway stage. Her life and career, however, were marred by alcoholism. Morse's' group the Blue Grass Boys had no relation either to their later namesake of Bill Monroe's nor bluegrass music.

In 2014, Morse's rendition of "If You Want the Rainbow" was used in an episode of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire.

Death

Morse died on December 16, 1954 in Rochester, New York, while visiting a neighbor. She was 57 years old. She is interred at the Riverside Cemetery in Rochester, Monroe County, New York.^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ 1900 Census: "United States Census, 1900"
   citing Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: T623; Line: 33; Digital film/folder number: 004113688; FHL microfilm: 1240232; Image number: 399; Sheet number: 1; Sheet letter: A; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N00675-5
   FamilySearch Record: MM5G-PY2 (accessed 29 February 2024)
   FamilySearch Image: S3HY-6S7Q-JJ3
   Lena Taylor (3), single daughter, in household of Pleasant Taylor (44) in Payette, Payette, Idaho, United States. Born in Oregon.
2. ↑ 1910 Census: "United States Census, 1910"
   citing Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: T624; Digital film/folder number: 004970730_003_M94T-3XN; FHL microfilm: 1374237; Image number: 362; Sheet number: 6; Sheet letter: A; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N03342-7
   FamilySearch Record: MLH2-9FM (accessed 29 February 2024)
   FamilySearch Image: 33S7-9RV5-NCT
   Lena C Taylor (12), single daughter, in household of Pleasant J Taylor (53) in Kooskia, Idaho, Idaho, United States. Born in Oregon.
3. ↑ Marriage: "United States Western States Marriage Index"
   citing Page: 199
   FamilySearch Record: XZKF-SZZ (accessed 29 February 2024)
   Lena C Taylor marriage to Elmer P. Morse on 2 May 1915 in Kooskia, Idaho, Idaho, United States.
4. ↑ Marriage: "Idaho, County Marriages, 1864-1962"
   citing Kooskia, Idaho, Idaho, United States, various county courthouses, Idaho; FHL microfilm
   FamilySearch Record: Q2Z2-4FCN (accessed 29 February 2024)
   FamilySearch Image: 3QSQ-G9DX-DCN3 Image number 00767
   Lena C Taylor marriage to Elmer P Morse on 2 May 1915 in Kooskia, Idaho, Idaho, United States.
5. ↑ Marriage: "Idaho Marriages, 1878-1898; 1903-1942"
   citing Digital film/folder number: 007548868; FHL microfilm: 1513901; Record number: 2830; Packet letter: A
   FamilySearch Record: FW69-WY6 (accessed 29 February 2024)
   Lena C Taylor marriage to Elmer P. Morse on 2 May 1915 in Idaho, Idaho, United States.
6. ↑ 1920 Census: "United States Census, 1920"
   citing Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: T625; Line: 72; Digital film/folder number: 004964476_006_M94T-18T; FHL microfilm: 1820294; Image number: 86; Sheet number: 2; Sheet letter: B; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N01960-0
   FamilySearch Record: MDZM-798 (accessed 29 February 2024)
   FamilySearch Image: 33S7-9R69-JXS
   Lena Morse (22), wife, in household of Elmer Morse (24) in Kellogg, Shoshone, Idaho, United States. Born in Oregon.
7. ↑ Death of husband Elmer P Morse: "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960"
   citing Spokane, Spokane, Washington, reference 1202, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia; FHL microfilm 2,022,319
   FamilySearch Record: N3P4-44D (accessed 29 February 2024)
   Lena Taylor Morse in death record for husband Elmer P Morse 20 Oct 1926 in Spokane, Spokane, Washington.
8. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23637363/lee-morse: accessed February 29, 2024), memorial page for Lee Morse (30 Nov 1897–16 Dec 1954), Find a Grave Memorial ID 23637363, citing Riverside Cemetery, Rochester, Monroe County, New York, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.

• Wikipedia contributors, "Lee Morse," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lee_Morse&oldid=1190311659 (accessed February 29, 2024).